dwex@wxlvax.UUCP (07/17/83)
Since someone brought up the idea of starting a discussion of
musical heroes, I thought I would add my two cent. I have several.
Most of the I respect for their guitar playing skills, as I am a
guitar player.
1) Steve Howe - My absolute favorite guitar player. He has done
some really impressive stuff with Yes and Asia.
However, his really impressive work is on his two
solo albums, "Beginnings", and "The Steve Howe Album".
On the latter he plays Vivaldi's Concerto in D for
Guitar on a Gibson Les Paul. His rendition compares
favorably with that of several classical guitarists
I have heard. I just heard the first single from the
new Asia album yesterday, and his playing is even better
than the first album.
2) Neal Schon - The guitar player for Journey. He played with Santana
when he was FIFTEEN years old (not that his playing was
so fantastic then). He started out as just a flashy
solo player, but over the years he has gotten better
and better. Now, with each new Journey album, there
is a noticable improvement. I own most of the Journey
collection, and on comparison of the first album with
the latest, the change is just incredible. (Interesting
sidenote: How many people know what Steve Perry did
coming to sing for Journey (after the fourth album)?
He was a chicken farmer. Someone discovered him
singing to his chickens and gave his name to Journey's
manager.)
3) Craig Chaquico - The guitar player for Jefferson Starship. He cut
his first track when he was 16, and starteed the
Starship with Grace Slick and Paul Kantner when he was
19.
4) Randy Rhoads - Randy was the guitar player for Ozzy Osborne until
he was killed when an airplane crashed into his house
in March of this year. His death was a great loss to
guitarists all over the world. While I know that Ozzy
is not popular in most circles, his music is good, and
Randy's guitar playing is incredible. It is a shame
only four albums with his work on it exist. (Two with
Ozzy, and two with a relatively unknown band called
Quiet Riot.)
5) David Bowie - The man's versatility is amazing. While I am not fond
of the music he has produced recently, his earlier stuff
in the Ziggy Stardust and Alladin Sane eras was
absolutely fantastic.
6) Ian Anderson - The lead singer and flute player for Jethro Tull.
He has taken the flute, traditionally a classical
instrument, and made it an integral part of Jethro
Tull's music. On top of that he sings well and writes
good music.
7) Geoff Downs - The keyboard player first with the Buggles, then
with Yes (on the Drama album), and now with Asia.
When I saw Asia in concert, I was really impressed
with his versatility. He had 18 different keyboards
on stage with him, and he used them all.
These are only a few(!) of my rock heroes. I am interested in hearing
about those of other people, so please send your responses to the net or
directly to me.
David Wexelblat
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